My winch is currently being service.When I get it back i will start to fit it.i am going to redo all the wiring.
i got myself 35mm grey welding cable.Will this be OK
I was thinking about putting the control box in the engine bay but cannot really find place.So my second option is to put it inside the BB.I do not want to put it on the outside.Is this the most common place to put it?
Do one have to put an inline fuse for the cables that run from the battery to the winch And what size.175 amp
On most installation I do not see a fuse :problem: Then again will such a big fuse actually work when you in a accident and the wires are making contact.

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.-Saint Augustine"

Toyota fitted the control box inside the BB on the LTD; there is a bracket on driver's side of winch. Makes it difficult to drop the removable winch plate though as one needs to loosen the control box to get (barely enough) slack on the cables. Didn't see any fuses. Cable size will depend on the current rating of the winch, but 35mm sounds OK.

The control box got wet during the last water crossing, but still works fine regardless.

I'm not sure if that is a deadman's switch in the true sense, looks more like a mountable replacement. Deadman's switch refers to something that cuts power supply in the event of the operator gone a.w.o.l. like on battery locomotives, hoists or even the "key on a rope" on boats etc. In the case of the Warn remote the switch cannot latch in either winding direction, so in essence serves the purpose, but nothing to cut main supply from battery.

I'm not sure if that is a deadman's switch in the true sense, looks more like a mountable replacement. Deadman's switch refers to something that cuts power supply in the event of the operator gone a.w.o.l. like on battery locomotives, hoists or even the "key on a rope" on boats etc. In the case of the Warn remote the switch cannot latch in either winding direction, so in essence serves the purpose, but nothing to cut main supply from battery.

Must say the warn one does only look like a normal switch

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.-Saint Augustine"

george wrote:
Must say the warn one does only look like a normal switch

Indeed, but point is that it is not latchable, thus if you for some reason lose control of the remote the switch returns to stop position in other words winch will stop ie deadman' s switch functionality. What you're after is overload/ short circuit protection, just trying to illustrate the difference

I think this is going to be the one.Then I can switch of the circuit when not using the winch and i can put it as close to the battery as can bee.Where would I find something like this and what would be the amp rating?

OOOOMS wrote:Like so:

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"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.-Saint Augustine"

A dead man's switch (for other names, see alternative names) is a switch that is automatically operated in case the human operator becomes incapacitated, such as through death or loss of consciousness.

The switch usually stops a machine, and is a form of fail-safe. They are commonly used in locomotives, aircraft refuelling, freight elevators, lawn mowers, tractors, personal watercraft, outboard motors, chainsaws, snowblowers, tread machines, snowmobiles, and many medical imaging devices.

George I have seen a few of em installed (similar) to pic, and have also seen a guy in Moz winching in his boat onto the trailer ... winch malfunctioned and practically pulled the boat onto the bonet. Quickest I have seen a hacksaw cutting through a battery terminal... :!: :!: :!:

What will happen if the power to the winch is being cut under load - does the brake work manually or electrical ?
The fuse rating will very much depend on the battery size aswell ( amp/hour ), otherwise the battery or winchcontrol could act as a fuse.

I have an isolator switch installed like that on the + wire running from the battery to the winch.

You need to insert that key into the switch turn it and then make it work. It does stay ON, on it's own but it only needs a bit of touch to make it turn back OFF again. You cannot remove the key when it is ON, only when OFF.

Get yourself a Marine grade one. I paid R80-00 at an automotive auto electrical wholesaler.

I use the same switch / isolator between my HC and DC battery's. Thus if my HC battery fails or I need to use the winch I can switch both battery's together. Key must be in to operate and cannot be removed unless switched off. See pic.

There is a simple and effective way to do this. Route the power feed to the winch through a relay (minimum 75 amp rating). Then you fit a switch inside the cab that triggers the relay ... this switch could preferably be of the LED type that lights up when it's on so that you can see when there is power to the winch. Keep it switched off until you need it, that way there can be no accidental winch activation or accidental shorting of the terminals if you happen to be working in there with a spanner or something.

P.S. I'm not so sure that a dead man switch is going to be practical .... as Chris says, what happens if you have to steer yourself out at the same time that you are winching? Or if you need to stand clear of the vehicle using the remote? Where will this dead man switch be mounted so that it can be effective, and as Chris also correctly pointed out, if it's of the type that has to be held in the on position, where are the extra hands going to come from to drive if you need to while winching?

When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.

Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!

Mud Dog wrote:
P.S. I'm not so sure that a dead man switch is going to be practical .... as Chris says, what happens if you have to steer yourself out at the same time that you are winching? Or if you need to stand clear of the vehicle using the remote? Where will this dead man switch be mounted so that it can be effective, and as Chris also correctly pointed out, if it's of the type that has to be held in the on position, where are the extra hands going to come from to drive if you need to while winching?

Kinda what I was driving at, a true deadman's switch is not what's required :wink2:

What is the biggest size inline fuse you get for 12V? I fitted the winch with a battery isolated switch(the one with the red key).
The only issues I have is that I mounted the control box inside the bumper and one of the relay connectors is about 1cm away from the bumper.I just fear that if the control box should move and I have a short,what will the results be? Fried battery,explosion,ruined computer box.
Here is the specs according to warn.Basically on full load it will draw 435 amps. I think I am answering my own question.I will need to put a fuse in that can handle 435 amps and that fuse is probably not gonna help me if I have a short. Should i just leave it as it is setup now and first test the winch and if there is smoke and sparks coming out just disconnect the isolated switch.I hope I am making sense.Your thoughts please

George, I think one should be able to get a fuse, but you'll have to try industrial suppliers.

I remember way back when on the battery Loco's underground we used to have circuit breakers on the main circuits, if I recall those things ran at 80V DC & 300A-400A, maybe that would be easier to source. Otherwise put 4 x 100A (or 6x80A) fuses in parallel.